The short answer
Break off the encounter and return toward oxygen or shelter. Keep a charged escape tool ready, and stop scanning when it competes with survival.
Before you start
- Charged defensive tool, healing, oxygen and a known return route.
- Creature-specific advice below is published reporting checked against released updates; it is not an independently tested immunity guide.
Create an opening, then leave
A stun is time to act. Repeated hits are not a verified method of making an area permanently safe.
| Tool / threat | Current evidence | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Survival Multitool | Adaptive Measures added fleeing for most creatures. | Use an opening to withdraw; defensive retaliation remains possible. |
| Sonic Resonator | Buddy System gives its creature stun a 10-second duration. | Retreat after the hit; no all-species immunity claim is established. |
| Feedback Resonator | Now stuns creatures instead of making them flee. | Do not wait for the old fleeing behaviour. |
| Bullethead | Damage increased; attacks can now be dodged. | Leave room to move rather than holding position for a scan. |
Sources for this section
Collector: recognize the grab setup
Collectors are reported along the open-water crossing toward the Alien Ruins and above Axum Quarry. A ranged pulse can immobilize prey before the grab; a roar or music change is a reason to break off the approach.
For an optional Bioscan, GameWith describes working behind the head and away from tentacles. This is an exposed approach, not guaranteed safety. Kingy recommends postponing it if you cannot afford to lose the vehicle or the return oxygen.
Do not rely on Camouflage to end an eating animation. Avoid sacrificing your only Tadpole as scan bait.
Sources for this section
Shiver: turn back at the boundary
Shivers patrol the out-of-bounds waters beyond the orange Early Access boundary. Retreat toward the playable side rather than pursuing an optional scan deeper into their area.
Older advice about protected riders is obsolete: Buddy System fixed Shivers being unable to attack players attached to vehicles or Utilities. This guide does not endorse border-hopping as invulnerability.
Sources for this section
Deepwing Brooder: a different encounter
Deepwing Brooders are reported as docile migrators, often above the player. A scan does not call for the same predator-bait approach as a Collector.
Their released egg clusters include decoys; the reported edible clumps have a greener centre. Follow the pickup label and avoid chasing a moving school beyond your return reserve. No fixed spawn coordinate or harvest yield is assumed.
Sources for this section
Decide when to abandon a scan
- Before approaching, locate your vehicle or return point and check oxygen, health and tool charge.
- Withdraw if the target closes, your exit is obscured or your reserve is falling faster than expected.
- In co-op, agree on the retreat point first. After a revive, regain safe oxygen before resuming exploration.
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Research checked 2026-09-12. This is a source-based guide; Kingy has not independently play-tested these steps. Evidence and coverage.